Anchorage, AK – Day 14

Posted on 08/11/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Friday, 10 August 2012 Anchorage, AK (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hour riding time. Anchorage to Homer, AK round trip by truck (498 miles)

Weather – Cool temperatures in the mid 50’s with mostly cloudy skies

Decided to rent a car for the next couple of days and ended up getting an upgrade to a crew cab GMC Canyon – since I’m flying out early on Sunday morning for Inchon, thought I might do some sightseeing in the area. After talking with Beth, Sharlane & Kim at Alaska Scientific about some options, I decided to head south to the port city Homer. Since I was heading that way, I asked if they needed any products delivered and there was a large order for lab reagents for the hospital – what a great opportunity!

Loaded and on my way with 500+ lbs of liquid reagents, I started south for about 220 miles to South Peninsula Hospital in Homer to meet the laboratory director, Laura Miller and make the delivery – just can’t beat the same day service! After a brief tour of the lab and a photo op, I toured the city and drove out on the Homer Spit which protrudes out into the bay for some quick pics.

On my way back to Anchorage, I could help notice all the people fishing for salmon along both the Kenai and Russian Rivers – apparently the Sockeye salmon run is winding down, but KIng’s, Chum’s or Pink’s are on the rise. Had a pulled pork sandwich at Sackett’s near Cooper Landing and met a fishery expert from Washington State – he filled me in on all fishing activities.

Got a beautiful late-day shot of Kenai Lake and note the float plane in the distance – there are thousands of them throughout Alaska and you see them on just about any waterway; they are the only mode of transporation in many parts of Alaska. From there I turned off at Portage Glacier and was honestly a bit disturbed by how much the glacier had melted and receded since I was last there in the late 70’s…back then the face of the glacier was just beyond the ice floating in the foreground – you can see the glacier way off in the distance. Still can remember an Arab man from a tour bus waving the bus driver to wait as he filmed a small chunk of ice floating in the lake; he kept pushing and filming the ice for the folks back home to see and have to believe he was amazed that ice even existed outside in a natural state! My mom has a picture taken of the fella and I’ll have to make a trip over to North Carolina soon to check it out…

Kim recommended that I stop by the Double Musky in Girdwood for a drink & some dinner – apparently the late senator from Alaska, Ted Stevens, frequented the spot; he actually nominated me for West Point & still have his telegram he sent.

Since it was getting late, I just had the halibut ceviche appetizer and it was terrific along with a couple of my favorite beverages – a very cool spot with a lot of history. The town of Girdwood is at the base of Alyeska Ski Resort and I drove up to check it out – a moderate size mountain with some pretty agressive terrain.

A long, but very rewarding day to see some of the old sights I had not seen in almost 40 years with my family…were the best of times!

If you would like to make a donation to give all kids diagnosed with cancer a better chance at living the full life they deserve, please visit Rally Foundation & Rally Around the World or Text “RALLY” to 85944 to give $10 to WIN the fight against childhood cancer. Send this message to 10 of your friends…Be a RALLY 10 to WIN!

Anchorage, AK – Day 13

Posted on 08/09/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Thursday, 9 August 2012 Anchorage, AK (0 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4723. 0 hour riding time

Weather – Warm temperatures in the mid 70’s with mostly sunny skies. Not sure if Anchorage has ever had any 90 degree+ temperatures and rarely does it reach the 80’s

Happy birthday to my brother Tye down in San Antonio, TX…he has been doing a terrific job following me and provding updated weather and other route information! While I know you bleed Texan after living down there for over 30 years, do know that the folks in Alberta, Canada have the same air about their province – everything is BIG in Alberta!

Spent the first part of my day reviewing the trip with a special focus on the ride across Siberia; I was considering the possibility of booking some hotel nights in some of the larger cities, but since I have no sense as to the kind of mileage progress I can expect daily, I’ve decided to leave it open for now – just roll the dice and ride west. The ride from Vladivostok to the Latvian/Russian border will be a marathon covering 7500 miles in 11 to 12 days.

Additionally, I was on the phone and swaping emails with Rindy Veatch at DHL to finalize the airway bill and information requested by Wendy Choi in Korea to clear customs. She also arranged for Legacy Logistics to pick up the bike at Alaska Scientific and they arrived with a box truck – just wasn’t sure the shipping crate would fit through the rear overhead door on the truck, but it cleared with about 6 inches to spare. The bike is shipping to Inchon, South Korea on Saturday via Polar Air Cargo and with my flight, customs clearance and transportation from Inchon to Dong Hae, I won’t see it again until next Thursday, 16 August at the bonded warehouse at the DBS Ferry yard. Wendy has requested permission for me to gain access to the bike in the warehouse allowing me to opportunity to uncrate and reassemble prior to catching the ferry to Vladivostok on Sunday the 19th.

Update: Just have had several emails from Wendy Choi and she did get permission for me to uncrate & assemble the bike at the DBS bonded warehouse on Friday, 17 August – apparently they have a large vessel to unload on Thursday, but that’s great news. This allows me to get the bike back together prior to the ferry trip to Vladivostok so I can begin my trip across Siberia with little delay. Additionally, it appears all the DHL paperwork is in order and I can clear customs in 24 hours. Wendy is also arranging for the bike be shipped from Inchon to Dong Hae by bonded truck – about 130 miles and I’ll be taking a shuttle or bus to Dong Hae on Tuesday. Wednesday is a national holiday in Korea similar to our 4th of July Independence Day celebration…be cool to be a part of the festivities. Wendy Choi may be reached at AERO INTERNATIONAL, LTD at +82(0) 17-213-3961 or wendychoi2@gmail.com

Once again I joined Del & Kim for dinner and this time it was a local Mexican spot named Los Arcos – I had the chile relleno and Kim allowed me to share some of her Halibut cerviche – it was excellent. Oh…and I had my first & second Don Julio Reposado Tequila since starting my trip – believe I did, however, induldge in a Patron Silver once or twice.

Tomorrow I’ll share my warehouse, handwashing – laundry techniques developed while on the road traveling to some of the most inhospitalble corners of the planet. I know that’s a stretch and since I’ve done little in the category of any kind for several years now…tune in! Laundry Boy I be….

Fairbanks, AK to Anchorage, AK – Day 10

Posted on 08/07/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Monday, 6 August 2012 Fairbanks, AK to Anchorage, AK (381 miles) Total Trip Miles – 4666. 6 hour riding time.

Weather – Cool with temperatures in the mid 40’s to mid 60’s with mostly cloudy skies with some sunshine.

Had breakfast with Mike & Vicki Kennebec after waking up to a sunny, balmy 43 degree morning in Fairbanks…Vicki also packed a nice lunch for me – ham & cheese sandwich, chips, chocolate chip cookies, mixed nuts & a banana…it sure was tasty on the road especially when you are hongry!

Made my way out of Fairbanks heading south on two-lane, Alaska Hwy 3 with very little traffic and few large trucks which only confirmed Mike’s comments the day before that the majority of goods shipped into Fairbanks are by rail. After passing through the small village of Nenana, Denali National Park was next and all I could hope for was some clear skies to possibly get a glimpse of Denali, or known for a long time as Mt. McKinley, but the skies were cloudy approaching from the north.

Typically the best view is from the south and as the clouds started to break, I found myself constantly looking in my mirrors for the massive peaks. At a parking area south of the park, I noticed quite a few folks looking back to the north, many with cameras. And there she was, Denali and not a cloud in the ski – the tallest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet with both the north & south peaks exposed for all to see. Later I learned that Denali is only visible about every 2 weeks due to weather conditions and while living in Alaska back in the 70’s, I can only remember seeing the mountain a handful of times.

Passed through a number of towns including Wasilla – believe there is may be a political figure that once winked at me from the television that may be from that town. Anyhow, I kept looking at my clock and wanted to get into Anchorage early so I could have someone from the Suzuki dealership look at my drive chain in case there needed to be some parts ordered for a repair.

After going inside Anchorage Suzuki/Arctic Cat I met the service manager David and he asked one of his techs, Kurt to come outside and take a look – he reached down and grabbed the chain an said it’s adjusted too tight for the load I’m carrying and he’d seen them break under similar conditions – he recommend I run the chain play at the high end of the tolerance – loose in simplest terms. Also, he’d seen V-Stroms run 60,000 miles or more before needing a chain replacement…at least now I feel a bit better about riding another 10,000 miles across Russia and Europe! I have a complete service scheduled with them the following morning including tires and a proper chain adjustment.

Next I headed over the DHL to check on the shipment of the bike to Inchon, South Korea scheduled for the weekend and finally got to meet Rindy Veatch – she has done a fantastic job getting me a good shipping rate throught Polar Air Cargo. We discussed the paperwork, pick up times for the bike and payment, and for now, it looks like they will pick up the crated bike on Thursday for shipment on Saturday.

Made my way over to Alaska Scientific where I was greeted by Del Salyer in the parking lot – I had called their office trying to find their location since there was major road construction in the area with detours. After some brief introductions and a tour of the facility, the folks there helped me find an “old-style” carwash with the hand wands so I could spray off the ten days of glacial silt, mud and bugs of all types – some I can’t even pronounce.

Later, I joined Del, his wife Kim and several from Alaska Scientific for a dinner at an Italian restaurant – it was also Kim’s birthday and I was happy to be a part of the celebration.

Saskatoon, SK to Edmonton, AB Canada – Day 6

Posted on 08/03/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Kevin Schaan & Brad at The Battlefords, SK

Thursday, 2 August 2012 Saskatoon, SK to Edmonton, AB Canada ( 380 miles) Total Trip Miles – 2598

Weather – Cool with temperatures in the mid 50’s to upper 60’s with strong winds & rain for out 2 hours.

Rode out of Saskatoon with Kevin Schaan having breakfast at Husky’s Truck Stop – for an “egg” and riding together to The Battlefords about an hours ride from Saskatoon. Said our goodbyes and Kevin headed east wihile I turned west for Edmonton.

Today marked a defining moment when I ran into heavy rain, winds and cold temperatures for about 2 hours. I was dressed in my riding suit having only a short-sleeve shirt on underneath and ended up getting a bit wet due to the driving rain and wind only to decide that adding clothes would work fine at the next gas stop a couple of hours out. After refueling, I continued to shiver uncontrolably and was a bit incoherent – early stages of hypothermia. I pulled a long-sleeve shirt from my “cold weather gear bag” only to leave it behind at the gas station!…I absolutely will not make that mistake again and will need to pick up a few items somewhere along the route.

Followed Highway 16 or the Yellowhead Highway the entire day arriving in Edmonton about 3 pm and couldn’t wait to get a HOT shower for some core warmth. After joing Don Berry with Medical Mart West and several of his friends at the Sawmill Bar & Grill, I received a cash donation of Canadian dollars from Don’s friend Bill, From there, we went over to pick up Don’s wife Marina for dinner – think we talked about Seinfield shrinkage, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and a whole host of great shows. To top the evening off with a nice Edmonton dessert, Don presented me with a generous donation to Rally…thank you so much for the support Don!

Winnipeg, MB to Saskatoon, SK Canada – Day 5

Posted on 08/02/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Michael Brown & all the folks at Northland Healthcare Products

Wednesday, 1 August 2012 Winnipeg, MB to Saskatoon, SK Canada ( 549 miles) Total Trip Miles – 2218

Weather – Hot & humid with temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s with rain & strong winds west of Brandon, MB.

Michael Brown graciously offered for me to stay in his home and he prepared a terrific Canadian breakfast of eggs, toast, coffee & juice – must say the honey was quite tasty. Michael showed me the way to one of the local “garages” where I filled up gas before headning out to Saskatoon – thank you Michael Brown and all the folks at Northland Heathcare Products for your generous support of Rally Foundation!

Picked up the Trans Canada Highway 1 and headed west where the speed limit was 110km and ran into some cold, rainy & windy conditions west of Brandon for about an hour – was my first taste of cold weather. Also, found out the hard way the need to look for fuel when the gage is half empty – ran the level down to reserve and punched in the GPS for the closest gas station and when I arrived the station appeared to have been closed since Walton’s Mountain & the Great Depression. Ended up heading in the opposite direction on the Trans Canada the the second closest option – ended up having only 3/10 of a gallon or about 15 miles left of travel.

The Schaan’s – Collin, Gerald & Kevin

Passed through Regina and picked up Highway 11 getting to Schaan Healthcare Products about 4:30 in the afternoon – I was met by Gerald Schaan and his two sons Collin & Kevin. Had a great tour of their facility and followed Kevin over to his house for a barbque with their employees, family and friends – a fabulous spot around the pool. Gerald Schaan addressed the groups making some very nice comments about Rally Around the World and pledged a very geneorus donation to Rally Foundation – their commitment to the health of children was not only exemplified by their support of Rally, but Schaan Heathcare made a signifcant contribution to the new children’s hospital in Saskatoon for a room for parents to have a quiet place – the hospital is schedule to be completed in a few years.

Gerald Schaan presents the Rally contribution

And once again, I was an invited guest to stay the night in an NDC dealer’s home – laundry on all. I am so grateful for the hospitality of the last several days from so many people making my trip around the world so much more enjoyable..If you would like to make a donation to give all kids diagnosed with cancer a better chance at living the full life they deserve, please visit Rally Foundation & Rally Around the World or Text “RALLY” to 85944 to give $10 to WIN the fight against childhood cancer. Send this message to 10 of your friends…Be a RALLY 10 to WIN!

Sioux Falls, SD to Winnipeg, MB Canada – Day 4

Posted on 08/01/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Kreisers – Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls, SD to Winnipeg, MB Canada (535 miles) Total Trip Miles – 1669

Weather – warm & but slightly less humid with highs in the low 90’s and clear skies.

Joined Dave Larson, Denise Gregory and all the folks at Kreisers for a breakfast Rally Event – a traditional breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes & sliced fruit was served to start us all off to a hearty meal. Kreisers employees were invited to make donations to Rally and Dave offered to match that total. Both Denise and I were taken on a tour of their corporate offices and there were great pictures of Dave’s grandfather who started the Kreiser business and his father that continued to legacy – Dave makes it a 3rd generation company with Scott Larson, Dave’s sone, rounding out the 4th. Congratulations on a wonderful success story!

Rolled out of the Kreisers parking lot at about 9am bouind for Winnipeg crossing into Canada mid-afternoon and only taking about 15 minutes. After answering a half dozen questions or so, I was cleared and allowing to continue on my trip north. Met Michael Brown at the Northland Healthcare offices and was given a tour of their main facility – Northland offers a strong home healthcare presence in the Winnipeg area along with physician office supplies. From there we both joined Donna Jackson from Northland for a great Canadian dinner! Ended the evening with a grand tour of city of Winnipeg about 800,000 people.

I did note one thing after crossing th Canadian border – the road are a bit bumpier…will just have to wait and see how that might impact my speeds and travel times. Michael was gracious to allow me to stay at his home – he even left his vacation spot from out of town to join me for the evening!

Rally Around the World – Day 1

Posted on 07/29/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Rally Kids Adrianna & Amelia

As we arrived in Clarksville, Mid-South Motoplex served hot dogs on the grill along with iced, cold drinks as Molli provided the musical entertainment It was emotional when Adrianna so eloquently addressed the Clarksville group with thanks and her desire to conquer this terrible disease – she is such and inspiration and a beautiful young woman…have had her sweet smile on mind this entire day as we made our way to St Louis. Folks…this is what Rally is all about! Chuck,

Dave, Rick, Keith, JR & Stark continued on the ride after Clarksville with Chuck & Dave stopping at Metropolis and the rest of us riding onto St. Louis for the night – have to beleive some gambling was on the agenda for the evening for a couple of the riders.

Ended the ride with a great meal prepared by Paul & Lilly Telker – bar-b-que ribs, corn on the cobb, sweet potatoes and broiled tomatoes topped off with some Kentucky bourbon. Had a great time on their deck with some great conversation and welcomed the opportunity to stay with them in their home for the evening – just can’t beat their MO hospitality.

Rally Around the World Launch Eve Party

Posted on 07/28/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Shanon, Brad & Elaine – Cool Springs Powersports

Wow!…what an incredible launch party for Rally Around the World hosted by Cool Springs Powersports! Sixty family & friends joined us for a great time on the eve of of my around the world ride supporting Rally Foundation. Wine & beer was provided by Constellation Brands including Blackstone Wines, fabulous hors d’oeuvres, desserts by Nothing Bundt Cakes, music by Brynn Marie and her band and a special thanks to Jim Osborn and Chris Holbrook at Cool Springs Powersports for hosting the event and providing all the door prizes.

Melissa Smith managed donations and any pre-registrations for the first-leg ride on Saturday and Chris Brooks and Elaine Kay drew names for door prizes. Missed you Jenni Rodgers – you would’ve been quite proud of how well the event went!

Rally Around the World in Just 3 Days

Posted on 07/26/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Down to just 3 days before I head out on this 14,000 mile ride around the world supporting Rally Foundation and all the great things they do to fight childhood cancer. The rally begins Friday evening, July 27 with a kick-off party at Cool Springs Powersports in Franklin from 7pm to 9:30pm with food, drinks, music and a good time. On Saturday morning, July 28 the Rally Around the World First-leg Ride starts with registration from 9am – 10:30am at Cool Springs Powersports and the ride leaving for Mid-South Motoplex in Clarksville – about a 60 mile ride. From there I’ll head out for my first stop in St. Louis staying with Paul & Lilly Telker with T-Plex Industries – an NDC vendor partner that has been so gracious in allowing me to stay the night in their home!

Natalie Martin continues to be a huge supporter of my event by most recently creating the sponsorship decals for the bike along with all my sponsorship embroidered patches for my riding jacket. Melissa Smith jumped in this week and has been booking hotels along my route and providing me with up to the minute details – she’s terrific at scheduling and managing any event and especially keeping me on task.

Received my shipping packet today from Motorcycle Express – these folks arranged the shipment of my bike from London to Montreal along with my bike insurance GREEN CARD for travels in Europe. Also, the last 2 weeks I’ve been working closely with Wendy Choi in Seoul, Korea to arrange customs clearance for the bike arriving in Inchon along with scheduling the bike to be trucked from Inchon to Dong Hae where I’ll be catching a ferry up to Vladivostok, Russia. Rindy Veatch with DHL in Anchorage did an amazing job working with Polar Air Cargo and scheduling the bike shipment from Anchorage to Inchon – just a lot of great people making this event possible!

Final Service on the V-Strom!

Posted on 07/15/2012 by rallyaroundtheworld

Ray Davie – cycle tech extraordinaire

Just 14 days until Rally Around the World begins – can hardly believe the launch date is so near!! Cool Springs Powersports in Franklin performed the final service on the bike to include tires, fluids and a final inspection of all systems. Ray is a huge source of cycle knowlege with over 30 years of experience servcing & repairing Japanese bikes. He’s an avid rider and was even the top dirt-track rider in Illinois. I asked him if there was any one thing I should take on my trip, he reached for the PJ1 Black Label chain lube – a daily must at the end of a long day! Tire pressure is also critical and he even recommended running 36 pounds in the front tire instead of 33 on the V-Strom…will continue to keep the rear tire at 41 pounds. He went over all the tricks to removing the fuel tank, replacing spark plugs, air cleaner and sevicing all the fluids while on the road…one great tip was placing a wrench between the chain and rear sprocket and rolling wheel forward to seat the axle tightly against the adjustment stops before final torquing assuring proper alignment.

Thanks you Cool Springs Powersports and Chris Holbrook for arranging the final service and expecially all the folks in the service department: Roland, Kate and Ray!

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